J^m^ 


CONKLIN^S 

|jl,ai  MODERN 


BEING  A  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 

ANCIENT     PUEBLO     PEOPLE, 

AND  THEIR  DWELLINGS. 


ALONG  THE   LINE   OF   THE 
ATCHISON    TOPEKA   &   SANTA    F^    RAILROAD, 

AND    THE 

SOUTHERN    PACIFIC    RAILROAD   OF  ARIZONA, 

TO 

*"   CALIFORNIA. 


i  ^ 


?) 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Arciiive 

in  2007  witin  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


littp://www.arcliive.org/details/conklinsmodernniOOconkricli 


CONKLIN'S 


MODERN 


NINEVEH  AND  BABYLON. 


BEING  A  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 

ANCIENT     PUEBLO     PEOPLE, 

AND  THEIR  DWELLINGS. 


» 


ALONG  THE   LINE   OP  THE 

ATCHISON,  TOPEKA  &  SANTA  FE  RAILROAD 

AND   THE 

SOUTHERN  PACIFIC  RAILROAD  of  ARIZONA, 


I 


CALIFORNIA. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1883,  by  E.  Conklin, 
in  the  Office  of  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


THE    PUEBLO    INDIAN. 


ONE  of  the  greatest  labors  of  the  historical  and  eth- 
nological department  of  our  government,  is  the  study  of 
the  origination  and  relative  position  of  the  so-called  In- 
dians of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona  known  as  the  Pueblos. 
So  different  are  they  from  what  we  generally  understand 
by  the  word  **  Indian  "  the  question  comes  up,  are  they 
Indian  ?  They  have  never  been  known  as  a  people  to 
lift  a  hand  against  the  whites,  and  evidence  a  strong  in- 
clination to  all  pursuits  of  industry.  They  are  Indians 
only  so  far  as  all  native  inhabitants  of  a  country  are 
Indians. 

The  Pueblo  Indians  are,  unquestionably,  descendants 
of  the  Aztecs,  of  whom,  after  the  so-called  anihilation  of 
that  people  by  Cortez  in  ifeo^  perhaps  naught  but  a  -^f 
single  man  and  woman  may  have  escaped  to  some  hole 
in  the  rocks  or  mountains  and  there,  by  the  cunning 
and  interesting  repetition  of  history,  the  beautiful  story 
of  Adam  and  the  Garden  of  Eden  told  over  again.  One 
must  doubt  however,  that  these  people  had  the  nice  big 
red  apple  Eve  had,  by  the  poor  specimen  of  that  fruit 
which  that  section  of  country  produces.  Perhaps  it  was 
a  pinon  in  this  case,  as  this  nut  is  the  national  fruit 
there.  It  permeates  every  crack  and  corner  of  every 
Pueblo's  residence,  and  the  little  Indian  girls  will  in- 
terest you  by  coming  upon  the  train  when  it  reaches 
Isletta,  and  vending  their  dried  and  shrivelled  up  a{)ples, 


and  their  sweet  Pinons.  A  prolific  year  of  the  pinon 
indicates  pestilence,  and  makes  them  a  "forbidden  fruit" 
in  those  seasons.  The  girls  come  in  their  native  cos- 
tumes, and  sing  out  in  their  musical  voices  their  ''Cart 
Pinons.^'  In  these  girls  one  can  see  a  Pocahontas,  and 
find  many  an  American  who,  like  Wm.  Penn,  fell  a  wil- 
ling captive  to  their  simple  charms.  It  is  estimated 
there  are  about  one  hundred  Anglo-Saxon  whites  mar- 
ried, legally  and  in  the  solemnization  of  all  religious 
sects,  to  Pueblo  Indian  girls  in  New  Mexico;  raising 
families,  and  thus  raising  the  standard  of  civilization  in 
the  Pueblo  of  their  adopted  parentage. 

No  one  going  to  California  by  the  Southern  or  "  Sun- 
set" route,  should  fail  to  visit  some  of  the  native  Pueblo 
towns  and  their  people.  One  of  the  most  formidable 
and  accessible  of  these  is  La  Gruna.  Leaving  the  main 
line  of  the  Santa  Fe  Road  at  Albuquerque,  you  go  out 
on  the  Atlantic  &  Pacific  Railroad  only  sixty  miles. 
The  train  runs  around  the  foot  of  the  hill  on  which  the 
town  is  built.  The  hill  might  be  called  a  small  moun- 
tain or  plateau.  La  Guna  interpreted  means  ^*The 
Water. ^'  This  is  evidently  given  because  a  stream  cir- 
cuits the  mount,  on  its  course  to  the  valley  below;  and 
water,  in  that  section  of  country  is  most  thoroughly 
appreciated  by  those  there.  Here  the  ancient  building 
of  Egypt  and  their  people,  Nubian  in  character,  may  be 
seen  carrying  water  in  jars  upon  their  heads,  like  the 
descendants  of  Rebecca  of  Bible  fame.  As  one  ap- 
proaches this  ancient  cluster,  and  if  he  has  ever  traveled 
the  Holy  Land,  the  exclamation  "Joppa  from  the 
North,*'  or  "  Babylon  "  is  apt  to  escape  his  lips,  and  he 
seemSi  to  have  discovered  remnants  of  Bible  History  in 
our  own  land. 


■ 


I 


THE  ZT7NI  AND  MOQUI—THE  MODEL  AMERICAN  INDIAN— THEIR 
VILLAGES — MODES  OF  LIFE — MORALS — REBECCA  AT  THE 
WELL— GAMES  AND  PASTIMES— A  SACRED  RITE— SHREWD- 
NESS—HOSPITALITY. 

ALTHOUGH  not  existing  wholly  in  Arizona,  the 
proximity  of  the  Zuni  and  Moqui  villages  and  its 
people,  the  Territory  together  with  its  associate  inter- 
ests, prevent  us  from  passing  this  wonderful  people 
unnoticed. 

The  old  tribe  of  the  Zuni  inhabit  a  region  extend- 
ing on  both  sides  of  the  line  between  Arizona  and 
New  Mexico.  They  are  destined  to  prove,  or,  perhaps 
are  the  most  interesting  of  all  our  aborigines,  probably 
on  account  of  our  ignorance  of  them.  The  habitation 
of  these  people  comprise  seven  cities — three  of  which 
aie  known  as  the  Moqui  villages,  and  are  in  Arizona. 
The  main  Pueblo  or  village  is  situated  in  the  fertile 
and  picturesque  Zuni  valley. 

The  first  and  leading  feature  in  a  visit  to  this  people 
is  their  village,  or  the  system  under  which  they  exist 
as  a  community.     The  whole  tribe  of  the  Zuni,  which 


in  76,  numbered  about  three  thousand  people,  live  in 
one  settlement.  Their  houses  are  not  detached  as  in 
ordinary  cities,  but  are  a  system  of  houses  massed  to- 
gether in  one  grand  structure,  in  the  following  manner. 
An  elevated  section  of  country  which  overlooks  the 
surrounding  lowlands  and  valleys,  is  selected.  A 
position  on  this  elevation,  where  portions  of  it  gives  a 
slope  of  perhaps  45°  or  more,  is  also  chosen. 
Up  this  incline,  the  houses,  or  the  sections  of  the  one 
grand  house,  are  built — the  one  over-lapping  the  pre- 
vious one  to  about  a  quarter  or  a  third  of  its  area. 
The  one  in  the  Zuni  valley  is  six  stories  high,  com- 
mencing at  the  first  house,  or  at  the  bottom  of  the  hill, 
you  approach  by  a  ladder,  to  the  top  of  that  house, 
and  there  you  find  the  entrance  (or  the  front  door)  of 
that  house,  in  the  place  where  the  skylight  of  an  Amer- 
ican house  is  situated.  From  the  roof  of  this  house  you 
approach  the  same  way,  by  the  ladder,  the  top  of  the 
succeeding  house,  or  section  of  the  great  house,  and 
proceed  to  enter  it  as  you  did  the  previous  one.  So 
this  system  is  carried  on  throughout  this  communal 
condition  of  life.  The  size  of  the  whole  may  be  com- 
preli ended  when  we  say  it  covers  twelve  acres.  The 
second  leading  feature  is  the  type  of  some  of  the  sub- 
jects. A  few  have  nearly  white  hair,  resembling  gen- 
erally what  is  termed  an  English  tow-head.  It  is  only 
occasionally  you  will  see  one ;  and  whether  these  are  a 


A  NAVAJO  INDIA:t{  BOY, 


phenomena  in  the  one  race,  or  a  remnant  of  another,  is  as 
yet,  a  query  to  the  ethnologist.  Also,  specimens  will 
be  found  exhibiting  pink  or  blue  eyes.  Both  of  these 
classes  are  however,  rare.  In  the  absence  of  any 
method  of  chronicling  events  being  found  among  them, 
they  afford  ample  scope  for  the  culture  of  the  histo- 
rian. Where  they  came  from  is  as  anxious  an  inquiry 
of  the  ethnologist  as  the  question  "  Where  are  they 
destined  to  go  to?"  is  with  the  psychologist  or  re- 
ligionist. It  is  supposed  that  the  style  of  dwellings  is 
the  result  of  necessary  protection  of  by-gone  times. 
Whether  Cortes  and  his  allies ;  whether  more  subse- 
quently, the  treacherous  Mexican  desperado  of  which 
at  no  distant  day  this  country,  was  infested,  perhaps 
either  of  these  could  best  tell  us,  or  whether  the  un- 
merciful persecutions  of  a  more  formidable  tribe  of  In- 
dians, is  a  question  perhaps  the  ancestors  of  the  war- 
like Apache  of  Arizona  could  answer.  I  am  of  the 
opinion  it  was  some  condition  of  the  lattei'.  All  the 
region  of  country  included  within  the  limits  of  New 
Mexico  and  Arizona  already  traveled  over  or  explored, 
biings  to  the  surface  new  evidences  of  persecution, 
annihilation  or  submission. 

One  body  of  ruins  covering  an  area  of  many  acres 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Colorado,  between  Yuma  (Ari- 
zona City)  and  Ehrenberg,  exhibit  one  of  these  inter- 
esting  sections,  where   nothing   lemains   to  trace  the 


origin,  duration  or  occupation.  Whether  it  was  an 
extensive  camp  of  permanent  miners  who  were  mur- 
dered by  Indians,  or  ransacked  or  annihilated  by  out- 
laws, is  likely  to  remain  a  secret  In  the  absence  of 
positive  knowledge  we  are  apt  to  concede  it  to  the 
rapacity  of  the  more  fierce  and  warlike  Apachds. 

Although  void  of  any  system  of  chronicling  events, 
like  all  the  Indians  of  our  West,  the  Zuni  are  in  all 
other  respects  far  superior,  from  the  Anglo-Saxon 
stand-point  of  civilization.  They  are  thrifty  and'  fru- 
gal. Their  lands  extend  for  a  distance  of  ten  miles 
east  and  west  of  the  boundary  line  between  Arizona 
and  New  Mexico,  and  seem  to  have  been  chosen  with 
good  discretion  as  they  embody  some  of  the  finest 
agricultural  lands  on  this  region.  For  the  distance  of 
upwards  of  a  hundred  miles  south  of  the  Zuni  vil- 
lage there  is  an  arroya  embracing  a  series  of  small 
valleys,  watered  by  mountain  streams  and  a  system  of 
natural  springs  which,  could  the  device  of  man  cause 
to  share  their  lot  with  the  otherwise  fertile  soil  of  the 
so-called  deserts  of  the  western  part  of  the  State, 
would  cause  that  emblematic  desert  rose  to  assume  all 
its  brilliancy.  The  little  valley  of  the  Zuni  is  about  I 
six  miles  wide  at  the  longitude  of  the  Zuni  village, 
and  runs  jnst  here,  almost  due  east  and  west.  The 
Zuni  village  is  located  on  the  north  side  of  the  Zuni 
river,  which  runs  directly  through  the  centre  of   the 


f 


valley.  The  valley  is  dotted  here  and  there  with 
mesas,  on  one  of  which  tlie  Zuni  villages  are  built; 
and  from  the  elevation  of  which,  ranging  from  twenty- 
five  to  a  hundred  feet,  a  most  charming  view  may  be 
obtained  for  three  miles  each  way  across  the  valley. 
It  reminds  one  somewhat  of  the  cheerful  views  in 
many  of  the  upland  valleys  of  Mexico.  Yalleys,  hills 
and  dales,  nooks,  rocks,  and  the  like,  present  here 
that  necessary  diversity  that  pleases  the  sight,  and 
which  characterizes  the  Territory  of  Arizona  as  the 
traveler  goes  eastward. 

The  crops  of  these  people  are  raised  without  irriga- 
tion. Their  principal  products  are  com,  wheat,  barley, 
pumpkins,  melons,  beans,  and  most  of  the  vegetables ; 
and  in  importance  and  quantity  range  in  about  the  or- 
der given — corn  being  the  largest  crop.  Over  the 
mesas  and  in  the  beautiful  valleys  may  be  seen  hand- 
somely arranged  garden  spots  equal  in  neatness  and 
attractiveness  to  those  of  the  Teutons.  Peach  oi*- 
chards  varying  from  a  quarter  of  an  acre  down.  Eed 
pepper,  garlic  and  the  smaller  vegetables  are  raised  in 
gardens  of  various  dimensions,  and  the  gardens  are 
symbols  of  symmetrical  neatness  and  cleanness.  They 
are  attended  and  cultivated  by  the  women  and  chil- 
dren. Although  in  this  respect,  they  would  seem  to 
resemble  the  Indians  in  custom ;  but  from  the  fact 
that  the  men  give   their  energies  and  time   to  the 


field  products,  they  would  seem  to  be  a  medium  be- 
tween the  aborigines  and  anglo-saxon  element.  They 
reminded  me  in  this  respect  very  much  of  the  German. 
The  gardens  do  better  with  some  little  irrigation,  and 
the  women  and  children  do  this  by  carrying  water  in 
vessels  resembling  the  Mexican  olla,  placed  on  their 
heads.  The  ollas  are  of  all  sizes,  and  hold  anywhere 
from  one  quart  to  ten  gallons.  The  wells  are  of  an 
original  plan.  They  have  no  windlass  or  a  means  of 
a  "drop."  The  ground  is  first  dug  until  water  is 
reached.  An  incline  is  then  dug  down  to  the  bottom 
of  the  welL  from  a  point  sufficiently  distant  from  the 
mouth  of  the  well,  to  give  it  an  angle  loi  easy  walking, 
digging  out  all  the  earth,  and  leaving  a  complete  road- 
way to  the  bottom  of  the  well  or  spiing  ?X  the  lower 
end  of  the  hill.  One  of  these  wells  I  saw,  measured 
forty  feet  deep  and  twelve  square  and  had  an  incline 
approach  of  one  hundred  feet.  It  is  an  odd  and  pleas- 
ing sight  to  watch  these  "  Kebeccas  "  trotting  down  to 
the  well  with  their  vessels  on  their  head,  and  from 
their  neat  appearance  and  docile  manners  one  has  a 
profound  respect  and  an  exalted  opinion  of  Indian  life, 
after  having  come  f rorh  the  land  of  the  greasy  "  Dig- 
ger "  or  the  rapacious  Apache.  In  their  gardens  one 
will  scarcely  find  a  weed. 

In  the  morning  the  men  may  be  seen  going  in  files 
to  their  fields — that  is,  provided  you  "  turn  out  "  at  five 


// 


in  the  morning.  The  division  of  work  and  rest  for  the 
day  is  very  similar  to  the  most  semi-tropical  countries. 
They  go  to  the  fields  at  early  dawn,  return  to  break- 
fast at  ten  o'clock  (having  taken  a  small  morsel  of 
something  before  going  out,  the  same  as  they  do  in 
the  West  Indies).  They  do  no  work  again  until  about 
three  in  the  afternoon,  avoiding  the  broiling  sun,  then 
they  return  to  the  field  at  that  time  and  work  until 
sun-down. 

The  country  being  a  pastoral  one  to  a  very  large  ex- 
tent, much  stock  is  raised.  The  principal  oi  which  is 
sheep.  On  one  occasion  in  1872,  one  of  the  Caziques 
made  his  daughter  a  present  of  three  thousand  head  of 
sheep. 

Goats,  cattle,  horses,  mules,  burros,  (a  species  of  the 
jackass)  hogs,  chickens  etc.,  form  no  small  part  of  their 
possessions.  These  people  are  very  domestic.  The 
men  do  not  gamble  nor  become  as  a  rule,  intoxicated ; 
a  condition  that  has  become  almost  identical  with  the 
most  of  American  Indians. 

The  chastity  of  the  women  is  proverbial,  and  the 
morality  of  the  men  is  beyond  reproach.  In  the 
Zuni  villages,  women  are  as  fair  as  alabaster,  and  as 
pure  as  virgin  marble.  Even  to  this  very  day  it  can- 
not but  be  gleaned,  by  an  association  with  them,  that 
any  one  who  would  tamper  with  their  sacred  virtue 
would  meet  with  the  fate  of  the  famous  guide,  Ester- 


van,  who  suffered  death  for  having  secretly  made  love 
to  their  women. 

Their  pastimes  consist  in  music  and  dancing,  and 
games,  the  chief  of  which  is  that  known  among  them 
as  paleto.  It  is  curious  to  see  them  exert  themselves 
at  this  game.  It  is  the  national  game.  One  might 
sit  for  some  time  and  watch  them,  and  then  have  a 
longing  to  join  them  in  their  skip,  hop  and  a  jump. 
It  is  performed  after  this  fashion  : — 

A  line  of  men  and  boys  are  formed,  in  their  bare 
feet.  Any  number  may  join  in  the  game.  The  head 
one  takes  a  stick  (the  Paleto)  between  his  big  and 
second  toe.  With  this  he  starts  ofif,  giving  two  hops 
and  a  jump,  at  each  jump,  allowing  his  right  foot  to 
touch  the  ground,  giving  him  a  powerful  spring.  All 
the  rest  are  now  following  close  behind.  Their  course  is 
round  a  common  circle.  If  the  paleto  man  drops  his 
stick,  the  next,  without  stopping,  picks  it  up  with  his 
toes,  placing  it  in  the  same  position  as  the  other  be- 
tween his  big  toe  and  the  next.  If  he  misses,  he  drops 
out  of  the  line  while  the  next  Indian  behind  tries  his 
luck.  If  he  picks  it  up  he  continues  on  until  he 
drops  it  and  then  be  drops  behind  to  the  rear,  as  the 
one  who  previously  had  done.  And  so  thej'-  keep  up, 
he  only  dropping  out  of  the  line  who  fails  to  pick  up 
the  stick  when  the  leader  has  dropped  it.  Thus  it 
keeps  up  until  all  but  one  has  failed  to   pick  up  the 


u 


pakto  when  dropped,  and  he  is  claimed  the  victor. 
This  is  witnessed  by  a  large  gathering  of  the  women, 
who,  clap  or  shout  at  any  great  alacrity  of  the  per- 
formers, and  the  last  one  is  hailed  as  a  sort  of  King 
o'  the  day;  has  a  wreath  placed  upon  his  head,  and  is 
the  recipient  of  lionors,  and  of  presents  occasionally. 
This  game  is  performed  on  a  larger  scale  on  fetes  or 
holidays,  and  is  a  source  of  great  merriment  Many 
a  maiden  will  watch  her  lover  with  the  most  selfish 
anxiety  for  his  success,  and  many  such  lovers  will 
"  lose  the  paleto"  from  the  simple  fact  that  the  maiden 
is  watching  him.  On  fete  days  these  games  or  per- 
formances generally  end  in  grand  processions.  They 
have  many  fete  days  in  which  many  historical  events 
are  Commemorated  On  the  evenings  of  these  days  a 
sort  of  religious  feast  or  entertainment  is  usually  held. 
It  is  performed  with  great  pomp  and  reverence.  A 
performance  which  was  enacted  with  grand  ceremony 
attracted  our  attention.  Some  animal,  usually  a 
quadruped  of  some  kind,  this  time  a  rabbit,  was  placed 
on  the  ground  with  his  head  towaid  the  east.  In  its 
fore-paws,  which  are  stretched  out  before  him,  is 
placed  an  ear  of  corn.  Before  this,  the  spirit  man 
takes  his  position  with  a  bowl  of  meal  and  with  lan- 
guage and  gestures  the  stranger  does -not  understand' 
consecrates  this  meal  This  being  done,  the  animal 
and  the  ear  of  com  are  sprinkled  thoroughly  with  it, 


and  a  solemn  exercise  of  prayer  and  consecration  is 
gone  through  with.  After  this  the  animal  is  allowed 
to  remain  one  day,  and  then  taken  up  and  eaten  as  a 
consecrated  feast  of  thanksgiving  for  an  abundant  har- 
vest. On  these  occasions  no  Mexican  is  allowed  to 
enter  their  domain  and  see  their  processions. 

The  men  and  women  alike,  pet,  idolize — fairly 
"worship"  their  children.  Their  abodes  are  superior 
— in  fact,  cannot  be  compared  with  what  we  under- 
stand as  Indian  huts.  In  style  and  material  they  re- 
semble Mexican  buildings  except  their  houses  are 
built  as  we  have  described,  en  masse,  communial — 
one  and  each  supporting  the  other.  The  principal 
room  where  the  members  of  the  tribes  receive  friendly 
visitors,  are  on  an  average  nine  feet  high,  with  seats 
running  around  the  structure  generally  covered,  with 
some  unshorn  skin  of  an  animal  such  as  a  goat,  sheep, 
wild  cat,  etc.,  making  it  preferable  to  a  hard  board  for 
the  sitter.  The  floors  are  of  stone,  and  the  rooms  are 
as  a  general  thing,  neatly  whitewashed ;  which  is 
more  than  we  can  say  of  the  average  Mexican  resi- 
dences met  with  in  Arizona.  They  are  clean  and  neat 
always.  One  singular  thing  exists.  No  vermin  are 
to  be  found  in  the  whole  town ;  neither  rats,  mice, 
roaches  nor  bed-bugs.  A  species  of  head  lice  is  the 
only  thing  in  that  line,  that  ruffles  their  temper  or 
destroys  the    equilibrium  of  their  nerves.     They  are 


MI-SIIONG-I-NI-VI.-A  VILLAGE  OF  THE  MOQUIS  IN 
NORTH-EASTERN  PART  OF  ARIZONA. 


keen  in  trade — never  getting  excited  or  in  a  hurry, 
and  "  drive  a  bargain  "  witli  all  the  shrewdness  of  a 
Chatham  Streeter.  With  an  anglo-saxon  training, 
these  people,  I  should  judge,  would  become  one  of  the 
greatest  policy  people  in  the  world.  The  spirit  is 
innate  in  them  ;  for,  until  the  break  of  friendship  be- 
tween you  and  them  is  made  flagrant,  no  outward 
manifestation  is  made  of  any  slight  antipathy  that  may 
exist  between  you  upon  slight  provocations,  that  could 
be  detected  by  an  outside  observer.  The  same  hospi- 
tality, provided  you  are  admitted  within  their  limits 
at  all,  is  extended  to  all :  another  evidence  where  the 
brain  power  has  control  of,  and  keeps  the  sentiments 
and  impetuosities  at  bay.  Let  your  visit  be  at  any 
hour  of  the  day  oi'  night  they  welcome  you  v<^llh  this 
spirit.  If  in  the  night  even,  the  same  invitation  for 
you  to  partake  of  lefreshments,  or  to  drink  some  of 
their  beverages,  is  extended. 


THE  MOQUI  AND  ZUNI  CONTINUED— THEIR  DRESS— MANXTPAC- 
TURES— GOVERNMENT — THE  SEVEN  CITIES  OF  CIBOLA — THE 
THE  ARK  AGAIN— A  PRESENT  FROM  PRESIDENT  LINCOLN— 
THAT  PERSISTENT  MISSION— MAJOR  POWELL'S  DESCRIPTION. 

THE  dress  is  of  a  cotton  tunic,  with  a  loose  girdle, 
extending  to  the  knees.  In  cold  weather  a  blan- 
ket, made  more  generally  by  the  Moqui  tribes,  is 
worn.  Some  of  these  blankets  are  of  the  richest  de- 
signs, and  will  last  a  life  time.  They  are  mottled  with 
all  colors  and  devices,  and  resemble,  and  would  make 
very  fashionable  and  serviceable  lap-robes  as  used  in 
American  metropolitan  life.  Some  travelers  have  been 
known  to  pay  as  high  as  one  hundred  dollars  for  one 
of  these  blankets,  and  it  is  estimated  that  to  some  of 
them  a  whole  life  time  has  been  devoted.  Col.  K.  J. 
Hinton  has  one  of  these  blankets  or  shawls  for  which  I 
think  he  said  he  paid  forty  dollars,  but  for  which  he 
would  not  take  one  hundred  dollars  cash.  It  puzzled 
the  whole  party  to  decide  how  the  different  colors 
were  blended.     The   thread  seemed  to   be  *a  tightly 


o 


twisted  or  '•'-  water-twisted  "  one,  of  fine  wool — a  thread 
which  among  our  modern  manufacturers,  is  considered 
of  the  greatest  durahility.  Remembering  the  primi- 
tive modes  possessed  by  the  Indians,  it  is  a  marvel 
how  they  can  produce  such  perfection.  The  women 
wear  an  outer  garment  falling  from  the  neck  to  the 
ankle,  girded  at  the  waist,  with  tassels  hanging  from 
the  girdle  to  the  feet.  "Woolen  leggins  and  high  moc- 
casins of  different  designs  ornament  their  feet.  The 
arms  of  the  women  are  generally  allowed  to  go  bare, 
(except  in  such  cooler  days  or  parts  of  the  year  when 
they  wear  the  wrapper  or  blanket  spoken  of  above) 
exhibiting  an  arm  and  hand  that  many  a  so-called 
belle  would  be  proud  of,  except  that  the  hand  will 
show  the  effects  of  a  little  closer  intercourse  with  the 
material  things  of  the  world — dish-cloths  and  slop- 
pails — for  instance.  When  they  conceal  those  arms 
under  the  wrapper,  however,  it  seems  to  be  with  as 
much  grace  as  the  best  of  'em.  Their  hair  is  black 
and  thick  like  the  ordinary  Indian,  but  they  wear  it 
with  more  taste,  and  something  after  the  fashion  of  the 
Chinese  women. 

Their  government  is  more  after  the  civilized  code 
than  Indian.  It  consists  of  a  governor ;  and  what 
might  correspond  to  our  Lieut.  Governor.  An  Alcalde 
(or  Mayor)."    Three  Tenientes  (or  Police  commissioners) 


wlio  are  responsible  for  the  good  behavior  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  twelve  Caziques  (or  councilmen). 

The  head  Cazique  serves  during  life,  and  is  called  the 
Wakamano.  The  Governor  also  serves  for  life. 
The  others  are  all  elected  yearly.  The  war  chief 
during   peace  conducts  the  different  kinds  of  hunts. 

All  orders — for  the  governnrient  and  control  of 
the  tribes  are  given  by  the  Governor  in  person  from 
the  top  of  the  central  house  to  his  Caziques,  and  the 
orders  are  then  distributed  in  the  different  locations 
or  different  sections  of  the  grand  house  by  them. 
They  walk  over  the  different  places  crying  at  the  top 
of  their  voices,  the  order  as  given  by  the  Governor — 
the  story  of  the  town  cryers  of  old  resuscitated. 

In  times  of  threatened  raids  from  the  Apaches  or 
Navajoes,  or  impending  dangers  of  war,  they  will  not 
only  congregate  en  masse  in,  and  around  their  aerial 
city,  but  will  drive  up  all  their  stock  on  the  mesa,  and 
once  there  they  can  bid  defiance  to  an  armed  foe  much 
greater  in  numbers  than  their  own.  It  is  supposed 
that  these  are  the  seven  cities  of  Cibola  which  Coronado, 
with  an  armed  force  of  Spaniards  went,  in  1540,  from 
Mexico  to  conquer.  It  will  be  remembered  how  the  in- 
habitants, although  with  primitive  utensils  of  war,  and 
with  vastly  inferior  numbers,  conquered  the  Spaniards. 
This  was  done  by  rolling  huge  boulders  from  the 
height,  hurling  missiles,  arrows  etc.,  at  and  down  upon 


their  foes,  as  they  would  endeavor  to  ascend  the  mesa. 

'•  These  people  too,  have  their  tradition  of  the  flood. 
They  say  they  have  lived  in  these  mountains  and 
among  these  valleys  ever  since  the  world  was  de- 
stioyed  by  a  great  flood.  Their  ancestors  got  into  a 
floating  log  which  happened  to  b6  floating  along. 
This  log  in  the  course  of  due  time,  and  as  the  waters 
"soaked  into  the  earth,"  landed  on  a  high  peak  of  the 
San  Francisco  Mountains.  Shortly  after  their  num- 
bers increased  rapidly,  and  the  Apaches  attacked  them, 
killing  the  most  of  their  tribe,  and  the  remainder  jour- 
neyed north  to  where  they  now  live.  Since  this  time, 
with  their  natural  fortresses  of  defence,  to  be  found  in 
the  mesa,  togethei-  with  their  watchfulness,  they  have 
defended  themselves  against  all  odds.  The  old  Gover- 
nor— Governor  Pino  by  name,  can  be  often  seen  walk- 
ing through  his  little  city  with  the  air  and  spirit  of  a 
truly  modest  guardian.  On  special  or  state  occasions, 
the  Governor  carries  a  gold-headed  cane  which  was 
given  him  by  President  Lincoln. 

"In  the  centre  of  the  town  stand  the  remains  of  the 
old  Catholic  mission.  It  has  not  been  used  for  wor- 
ship for  over  one  hundred  years.  How  old  the  mis- 
sion is,  I  am  not  possessed  of  sufQicient  facts  to  say. 
Some  records  date  back  as  far  as  1782, — some  older 
records  being  obliterated.  Two  old  bells  which  re- 
main still  in   the   belfry  are  stamped  1689  and  1751. 


THE  ANTIQUITY  OP  THESE  INDIANS— ARIZONA'S  VICISSITUDES- 
CONQUERED  AT  LAST— AMERICA'S  DARK  AGES— A  COSTLY 
BONFIRE— PRESCOTT  —  HUMBOLDT  —  BANCROFT  —  TO  THE 
LAND  OF  ANCIENT  LORE  BY  RAIL  ! 

IT  is  a  well-known  fact  that  the  antiquity  of  these 
people  is  one  of  the  many  subjects  connected  with 
Arizona  that  is  ;  and  has  been  ever  since  the  time  of 
the  Spanish  conquest,  taxing  the  investigation  of  man. 
As  Governor  Safford  once  said  :  "  There  is  probably 
no  portion  of  our  domain  where  such  a  variety  of 
Indians  live,  speaking  so  many  different  dialects,  as  in 
Arizona."  And  we  might  add  of  so  many  different 
customs  and  natural  cliaracteristics.  In  regard  to  the 
Ziinis  and  Moquis  it  is  now  asked,  "Are  they  Aztec, 
Toltec,  or  what?  "  The  nearest  we  have  got  to  it  yet 
is  that  they  are  "  whatever "  they  may  be.  They 
may  be  the  descendants  of  the  remnants  of  some  par- 
ticular tribe,  or  the  remnants  of  a  score  of  tribes 
that  suffered  the  incursions  of  the  sixteenth  cen 
tury,  consequent  upon  the  invasion  and  conquest  by 
Cortez.     What  a  revolution  was  there!     What  a  turn- 


A3Sr  i-NCIENI  WAtt  DANCE  JF  THE  APACHES. 


z' 


ing  upside  down  of  institutions  of  a  civilized,  culti- 
vated and  refined  people,  who  are  now  forgotten  and 
almost  obliterated  bj  tlie  lapse  ot  time.  A  people, 
perhaps,  scientific  in  the  extreme,  and  whose  institu- 
tions in  many  respects  equalled,  if  not  excelled,  some 
of  those  of  our  own  civilization.  With  the  opening 
up  of  Arizona,  the  reward  to  us  may  be  commensu- 
rate with  our  difficulty  and  delay  of  getting  a  practi- 
cal admission  to  her.  More  obstacles,  and  perhaps 
oftener,  have  been  thrown  in  the  way  to  retard  the 
opening  up  of  Arizona  than  perhaps  any  other  por- 
tion of  our  country.  In  addition  to  the  most  formid- 
able and  desperate  tribes  of  Indians  that  ever  com- 
bated the  approach  of  civilization,  the  position  of 
Arizona,  subjects  us  to  the  incursions  of  the  treacher- 
ous Mexican  banditti,  who  are  as  ready  and  willing  to 
profit  by  any  misfortune  or  weakness  of  his  neighbor 
as  the  most  ruthless  Indian.  Its  position  too,  sub- 
jected it  to  a  great  drawback  in  1861  and  '63  by  our 
civil  war ;  and  at  a  time  when  she  was  again  budding 
with  success. 

Some  men,  like  communities  are  often  found  in 
their  egotism,  congratulating  themselves  on  the  ad- 
vance— the  progression  they  are  making,  having  an 
infallible  belief  that  progression,  is  a  magnate  taking 
no  back  tracks,  and  meeting  with  no  diversions  ;  that 
we  never  lose,  but  always  gain.     That  we  did  not  lose 


anything  in  the  destruction  of  the  Alexandrian  library, 
or  that  if  we  did  it  was  chaff  compared  to  what  we 
gained  immediately  after,  or  by  the  very  destruc- 
tion itself.  Or  that  by  the  dark  ages,  although  admit, 
ting  they  were  irksome  and  disagreeable  in  themselves- 
nothing  was  lost.  Others  there  are  who  claim  to  see  a 
complete  revolution  in  all  things ;  w^ho  claim  a  com- 
prehensive distinction  between  progress  and  change  ; 
who  rather  glory  in  finding  that  which  was  lost,  claim- 
ing nothing  new  under  the  sun,  and  who  concede  that 
the  dark  ages  are  the  great  Machiavels  of  time  who 
cunningly  and  stealthily  crowd  themselves  in  to  baffle 
the  philosopher  in  his  course,  and  who  simply  cover 
up — hide,  things  for  a  limited  period,  for  our  employ- 
ment and  amusement  in  finding  again. 

From  1520  to  1530,  then  was  the  "  dark  age  "  of  the 
North  American  Continent.  Enough  was  covered  up 
during  those  ten  years  to  take  all  the  science,  work, 
and  philosophy  of  centuries  to  unearth.  This  we 
know.  But  we  do  not  know  but  that  there  is  much 
that  will  never  be  discovered,  nor  even  dreamed  of. 
The  most  of  these  belong  or  are  connected,  in  some 
way  with  the  people  of  whom  we  have  barely  made 
mention,  and  of  whom  if  volumes  were  written,  which 
has  already  been  done,  one  could  scarcely  do  more. 
To  what  extent  these  facts  exist  may  be  made  clearer 


ej 


by  reference  to  the  historian,  Prescott.     Prescott  says  : 
Book  VI,  Chap.  8  : 

"  Yet  the  Aztecs  must  have  been  in  possession  of  a 
much  larger  treasure,  if  it  were  only  the  wreck  of  that 
recovered  from  the  Spaniards  on  the  night  of  the  mem- 
orable flight  from  Mexico.  Some  of  the  spoils  may 
have  been  sent  away  from  the  capital ;  some  spent  in 
preparations  for  defence,  and  more  of  it  buried  in  the 
enrth,  or  sunk  in  the  waters  of  the  lake.  Their  menaces 
were  not  without  meaning.  They  had,  at  least,  the 
satisfaction  of  disappointing  the  avarice  of  their  ene- 
mies. 

"  Cortez  had  no  further  occasion  for  the  presence  of 
his  Indian  allies.  *  ^  *  *  *  * 
They  carried  off  a  liberal  share  of  the  spoils,  of 
which  they  had  plundered  the  dwellings — not  of  a 
kind  to  excite  the  cupidity  of  the  Spaniards — and 
returned  in  triumph,  (short-sighted  triumph  !)  at  the 
success  of  their  expedition,  and  the  downfall  of  the 
Aztec  dynasty." 

The  memorable  night  alluded  to  above  was  that 
which  is  the  present  patron  saint  day  of  Mexico, — the 
day  of  St.  Hypolito — and  was  selected  and  handed 
down  as  such  from  the  circumstances  connected  with 
it 

Prescott  also  says,  in  speaking  of  the  great  quanti- 
ties of  the  fine   arts  that  is  known  to  have   existed 


among  the  Aztecs  at  the  time  of  the  Spanish  con- 
quest : — "  The  first  archbishop  of  Mexico  collected  these 
paintings  from  every  quaiter,  especially  from  Tez- 
euco,  the  most  cultivated  capital  in  Anahuac,  and  the 
great  depository  of  the  national  archives.  He  then 
caused  them  to  be  piled  up  in  a  'mountain  heap,'  as  it 
is  called  by  the  Spanish  writers  themselves,  in  the  mar- 
ket place  of  Tiateloco,  and  reduced  them  all  to  ashes." 

Humboldt  said  : — "  The  Mexicans  (Aztecs)  were  in 
possession  of  annals  that  went  back  to  eight  and  a  half 
centuries  beyond  the  epoch  of  the  arrival  of  Cortez 
in  the  country  of  Anahuac." 

Bancroft  tells  us  also,  that  the  Aztecs  retained  many 
traditions  and  systems  of  the  Toltecs  "  whose  written 
annals  they  also  preserved."  He  also  says  that  at  the 
time  of  the  arrival  of  the  Spaniards,  there  were  great 
quantities  of  manuscript  treasured  up  in  the  country. 

A  recent  coj-respondence  to  the  Philadelphia  Weekly 
Press^  says: — "At  the  time  of  the  conquest  of  Mexico, 
Cortez  found  in  Mexico  a  people  millions  in  number, 
according  to  his  account,  enjoying  a  high  order  of  civ- 
ilization. Their  government  was  a  confederated  em- 
pire of  many  states,  a  rather  highly  organized  system 
implying  large  political  knowledge  and  practical  states- 
manship. Their  religion  was  one  of  peace  and  love, 
if  their  temples  filled  with  fl.owers  and  birds  and 
fountains,  and  their  daily  life  and  conversation  and 


THE  THREE    INDIAN  GIRLS  :-AN.TI-NAlNTS,  PU-LU-SU 
AND  WI-CHUTS. 


the  many  virtues  transmitted  to  their  descendants  to- 
day— if  these  works  are  any  evidence  of  their  faith. 
They  had  wealth  of  gold  and  silver,  and  artistic  work- 
ers in  their  precious  metals.  They  had  fine  houses 
and  great  public  works,  temples,  aqueducts,  roadways. 
They  had  a  calendar  measuring  the  solar  year  more 
accurately  than  ours,  and  requiring  readjustment  not 
every  four  years,  but  only  once  in  half  a  century. 
They  had  full  records  of  their  own  civilization  and 
history,  but  they  were  richer  yet  in  the  possession  of 
ample  and  authentic  records  of  the  races  before  them.'^ 

All  these  annals  and  paintings  met  the  same  fate. 
All  things  in  short  connected  with  this  people  that  fire 
would  destroy,  was  obliterated  from  the  face  of  the 
earth.  It  eclipsed  the  decline  and  fall  of  the  Roman 
empire,  and  the  worst  features  of  history  repeated 
themselves  in  the  new  world. 

Science  has  heretofore  been  confined  to  the  ancient 
recesses  of  the  old  world.  But  only  a  short  space  of 
time  will  elapse  when  the  steam  car  alone  will  lead  us 
to  a  new  field  of  labor  in  this  channel ;  curiosity  and 
pleasure  will  follow  closely  in  the  wake  of  ambition's 
stronger  impulse ;  and  Arizona,  New  Mexico,  and  our 
southwest  generally  will  resound  with  notes  of  the 
choicest  ancient  lore.  The  tide  of  pre-historic  study, 
will  be  suddenly  transferred  to  our  very  doors,  and  the 
flash  of  our  ignited  torch  cast  a  lurid  glare  on  even  a 
pre- Adamite  existence. 


WHO  18  UNACQUAINTED  WITH  THE  GEOGRAPHY  OF  THIS  COUNTRY,  WILL  8 
BY  EXAMINING  THIS  MAP,  THAT  THE 


•^^o,. 


■^Wnrtkington 


^Catnp\pouglft». 


ot^»»"". 


'4 


^"^>\l.,0     ^5^^«° 


Cwtr.V. 


\0' 


V'Sv^i 


iPlatle  CUy 

CansasCV. 


ov^"^^ 


^V'RLINGTOS 


^^  ^QMlMfJ-friM 


I 


^«'*. 


^'^M, 


'■rf<J^ 


CHICAGO,  ROCK  ISLAND  &  PACIFIC  R.  R. 

IS  THE  GREAT  CONNECTING  LINK  BETWEEN  THE  EAST  AND  THE  \VE« 

PA1L.ACE  CARS  are  run  throueh  to  P£ORIA,DE8  MOINES,  COVNCIIi  Bl.U]fi 
ATCHISON  and   1L.E AVENIVORTII :  i 

Ttckcta  via  this  I^ine,  known  as  the  "Oreut  Rock  Island  Route,"  are  »oi 
all  Ticket  Affents  in  the  United  States  and  Canada. 

For  Information  not  obtainable  at  your  home  ticket  ofllce,  address, 

E.  ST.  JOHN, 


A.    KlUMBALL, 


Gen'l  Superintendent. 


Gen'l  Tkt.  and  Paas'cr  Ar} 
Chical 


Continent  SteneosGoniG 


-Hic0FT]^EW-fY61^K.3}e^ 


FXJBLISHiEFlS    OF" 


* 


,# 


^OF  ALL  SECTIONS  0F$^ 


The  American  Continen 


±33  ^:E50.^^IDT77"..^"2r, 


N.EVSr  YORK. 


With  the  opening  of  1883)  v/e  have  r 
Great  Improvement  and  Increased  Facil 


